It’s a new year, and it’s the new you. Time to take all the lessons from 2017 and turn them into profitable action items for 2018.

What could you have done better in 2017? What things did you never get around to doing? Where do you see your business one year from now?

For expert insight into steps you can take to freshen up your store and grow your business in 2018 join Todd Barrs, Gooten’s President of Ecommerce and Retail Operations, by registering for our webinar on January 16th, where he will show you how to optimize your store for increased sales.

Setting new resolutions are a great way to commit yourself to getting your business where you want it to be. Here are a few you should be determined to fulfill this year to reach ecommerce success.

1. Learn a new (computer) language

Steve Jobs famously said “Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer… because it teaches you how to think.”

There are many great reasons to become more savvy with HTML CSS, and other programming basics. Not only does it gives you more insight into making tech-based decisions, it’s a great way to condition yourself to logical thinking, which gives rise to identifying more creative solutions.

These websites offer free resources to help you develop coding skills. They may not make you an expert overnight, but everyone has to start somewhere, and why not start somewhere for free?

On top of that, AI and chatbots are going to continue to cause a huge shift in the ecommerce world in 2018.

Business owners need to confront this aspect of the tech industry and start to embrace how to best implement new, conversational chatbots. Increasing your tech skills in general are a must in order to become a dynamic ecommerce storeowner.

2. Sharpen your social skills

2018 is not the year to be the wallflower of Instagram. Liking and following accounts is one thing, but without true engagement with your audience, your store will get lost in the feed.

InstaStories gives you a unique opportunity to create an intimate connection with your followers – one where they truly feel like they know you. This type of transparency and behind-the-scenes access will continue to be a powerful way to grow your following and your trust factor.

If you think the way you make or source your products is special or interesting, tell your customers about it. Consumers love to learn about the internal workings of your business if you’re prepared to tell them in an engaging way.

The use of social listening tools is another way to push your brand in the right direction. Social listening is the practice of tracking your conversations that revolve around specific phrases, words, or brands. Then you leverage those words or phrases to find new opportunities to create content specifically for those audiences.

3. Be more mobile

Mobile commerce (the cool kids call it M-commerce) is now the norm when it comes to online buying. In fact, 2017 was the first year more people did their holiday shopping on mobile versus desktop.

Mobile searches for “where to buy” grew more than 85% over the past two years. That’s why it’s critical to help shoppers find your business both online and when they’re on-the-go.

If you haven’t already polished up your mobile site and shopping cart to make for a perfectly seamless user experience, now is the time to do so. Make sure you’ve optimized for SEO to take full advantage of your mobile traffic.

4. Rock a new look

Look, I don’t want to be the one to tell you this, but that site theme and the look of those product photos you’re using are so 2017. When it comes to appearances, you better believe your competitors are updating to the latest trends, and setting new trends themselves.

Product photos are extremely important for ecommerce because they are the only visual interaction your customers have with your product. Make it a resolution this year to make your product photos professional and more informative. Optimize your images to make them more appealing and more shareable.

You can incorporate user-generated images taken with Instagram using a tool like Olapic. That way not only do you demonstrate social proof, but you then give browsers insight into how your product looks like on a real-life customer, which in turn enables them to envision it on themselves.

5. Become a better communicator

Every person that comes to your website has distinct interests. Not all of your content or products will be relevant to every visitor and if most of what they see whenever they land on your website is of no interest, you’re likely to lose them. On the other hand, if you can deliver an experience tailored to what each visitor likes, you’re more likely to keep them around and get them to convert.

Many buyers use their shopping carts to store items, with plans to visit later. When you get back to them, consider adding an incentive, such as free shipping or a discount coupon. Offer emails for everything: shopping cart abandonment, order confirmation, shipping confirmation, and customer feedback. Each one gives you an opportunity for a call to action.

If you haven’t already started bringing personalization and segmentation into your marketing and website experience, resolve to make 2018 the year you do so.

Looking to learn how to leverage the true power of Shopify (with little to no development required) and get insights on how to set up a 2018 roadmap for your ecommerce business? Join us January 16th for the webinar, “Start the New Year Right: Optimizing Your Store for Success” led by Todd Barrs, Gooten’s President of Ecommerce and Retail Operations.

After reading this guide you’ll be ready to take on Amazon. As always, at Gooten, we’re here to help. We have thousands of products that are ready to find a home with your customers, what are you waiting for?